Nigerian Youths Are Lazy, Spend Hours on Social Media Instead of Learning Skills — Tech Expert

A tech expert and Chief Executive Officer of Analaize, Mmadubuko Michael, has described some Nigerian youths as lazy, saying many spend hours on social media and entertainment while failing to develop skills that could improve their employment prospects.

Speaking during a telephone conversation, Michael said some youths could spend six hours on TikTok, argue about football for hours or stay up all night following celebrity drama, but consider learning skills such as Excel, digital analytics, sales, programming and Artificial Intelligence too difficult.

He said the situation becomes more concerning when companies advertise entry-level jobs requiring practical skills that many graduates do not possess.

Michael cited a typical entry-level digital marketing vacancy with a salary of N250,000, where employers may require skills in search engine optimisation, Google Analytics, Search Console, Meta Ads, copywriting, AI tools, basic design and reporting.

He said when young applicants lack these skills, they often conclude that Nigerian companies are unwilling to employ young people, rather than recognising the need to improve their capabilities.

According to him, some Nigerian graduates spend up to three years searching for jobs but may not spend three months deliberately developing valuable skills.

“Then another vacancy appears, entry-level digital marketing role, salary: N250,000, and the requirement goes thus: search engine optimisation, Google Analytics, Search Console, Meta Ads, copywriting, AI tools, basic design, reporting, and Africans have none of them, and we conclude that Nigerian companies are not employing young people,” he said.

Michael also criticised what he described as the growing culture of making job hunting a full-time career, saying some youths can spend two years searching for employment without spending six months building skills or creating an alternative source of income.

He urged young Nigerians to shift their focus from simply asking what they can do to make money immediately to considering what valuable capabilities they can develop to remain economically relevant over the next 10 years.

He further called for a new definition of success, saying young people should not be taught that success means waiting for a multinational company or government agency to employ them.

Michael said Nigeria needs a generation capable of learning, building, communicating, solving problems and creating value through entrepreneurship, technology, research, manufacturing, intellectual property and service exports.

He added that young Nigerians should strive not only to seek jobs but also to develop the capacity to create businesses, technologies and employment opportunities for others.